Happy Birthday Misaki
by Ashley Silver
Summary: It's Misaki's birthday, but she doesn't feel very happy...
1. Chapter 1 Misaki POV

Tokura Misaki sat down at under a tree in the park, watching as people walk past her. She would shoot envious looks at children there with their parents, having a good time. She sighed as she thought it was a mistake to come in the first place. She wanted to avoid Card Capital due to the crowd there. Today was supposed to be a special day even though she doesn't feel special at all. She lifted her knees up but made sure her long skirt covered the front of her legs.

She then folded both her arms and rested them on top of her knees. She felt cold and unwanted, unloved by anyone. She started to feel sorry for herself with all those thoughts she put in her own head. She felt her warm tears flow down her cheeks as those thoughts in her mind became more extreme. She hid her head in her folded arms as she didn't want anyone to see her pathetic self at the moment.

She heard rustling of dried leaves coming from next to her. She assumed that it was probably some kids who dropped their toys nearby. She thought that by keeping quiet, they would leave and she was backed up by the sound of silence. The wind was starting to pick up and it made her shiver even though she had her school blazer on. It felt cold and lonely, which was what she felt she deserved then. She felt a light weight being dropped on to her and it felt warm again. She turned up her head and saw Kai Toshiki. He was leaning in next to her, looking at her with his green eyes.

He had given her his blue blazer somewhere along the way when she was crying. She could see him taking a seat right next to her and expected him to speak. He remained silent and just sat there, leaning onto the tree behind them with his eyes closed. She could still feel tears rolling down her cheeks but tried her best to wipe them off so he wouldn't notice. Even so, she was sure he saw those tears.

"How did you find me here?" She asked out of curiosity.

"I just happened to be passing by." He replied.

"I see." She said. She turned her attention to the families again, looking at them with envy.

"You miss them right now huh?" He asked all of a sudden.

"Who are you talking about?"

"Your parents." He responded. He was looking at her intently right now that she felt slightly uneasy.

"Is it because I was staring at the families around that gave you the impression?" She inquired.

"It's more like the fact that you are sitting here alone, crying, when people are waiting for you at the shop." He explained.

"Can't I just want to be alone?"

"You definitely can. But there must be a reason why you want to be alone on your birthday." He said.

"How did you know it's my birthday?"

"Shin told everyone."

"I just wish that my parents were here to celebrate with me. After so many years, I just want to hear them say 'Happy Birthday' to me and just smother me with affection." Misaki said honestly.

She didn't understand why she was pouring her heart out to Kai but she felt comfortable doing so. He sat up and moved closer to her. He then petted her head gently. She could see from his eyes that he understood how she felt. She could feel tears rolling down her cheeks again. She felt touched by his actions. It wasn't something she would expect from anyone, especially from him.

"Happy birthday, Misaki." He said.

"Thank you, Kai." She was smiling now. She wiped the tears off her face.

He let go and just sat next to her in silence now. It wasn't an awkward and tense silence. It was the silence which states that they have reached an understanding beyond words. She felt comfortable like this. It was a side of him she never knew existed since he keeps his distance from everyone.

"Why did you cheer me up?" She asked. She was curious now that she thought about it.

"I think that no one should feel this way on their birthday." She smiled at his reply.

"Don't look too much into this matter. And please don't tell anyone. Miwa would not stop picking on me if he knew." He added.

"I get it. This will be our little secret." She said. He got up and offered her a hand to pull her up. She took it without a second thought.

"You should get back. I'm pretty sure Shin is wondering what's taking you so long." Kai said.

"I guess you're right. It's getting late." Misaki replied.

They walked on the path heading back to the shop. The sunset was coloring the sky a bright orange as they continued on their journey in silence. She wanted to express her gratitude to him but it felt hard to form the words to say it. She walked awkwardly next to him as she is starting to feel her heart pounding harder in her chest.

"I don't think I'll be going in." He said as they reached the junction which separates them from their paths.

"Oh." She sounded kind of disappointed but she knew he wouldn't be comfortable in the situation where people are going to force him to do things.

"Hey, try to act surprised. Shin put n a lot of effort just to make you happy."

"I know." She said. She took off his blazer and handed it back to him. He was already about to leave until she called for him.

"Kai, wait!" She mustered every ounce of courage she got to say that. He turned around and she walked up to him, running on adrenaline.

"What is it?" He asked.

She stood on her toes and gave his cheek a peck. She could feel her own cheeks getting warmer by the second. She peeked at him and saw a shocked look on his face. She felt that she crossed the line with her actions. She wanted to leave until he caught her wrist and pulled her straight into his arms for an embrace. She was panicking that she didn't realize it was not a hostile action.

"I'm sorry about just now. Let's just forget it ever happened." She blurted out.

"I won't forget it. I know you won't be able to either." He said. She expected him to tell her off but was surprised he said it in a gentle tone.

"Huh? You… Don't want to forget it? Is it because you're really angry at me?"

Kai gave a small smile and pulled her close for a kiss. Misaki was extremely surprised but she didn't resist. Her face was scarlet once he pulled away. She was at a loss for words. She never expected that he would act this way towards her.

"I have something else for you. I just didn't know when the right time was to give it to you." He took a small present box out of his bag. It was wrapped in red with a little silver ribbon at the top right corner of the box.

"Happy birthday again, Misaki." He kissed her forehead and left before she could even recover from the shock.

She opened the box really carefully and took out a pink bookmark with purple floral patterns. She flipped it around and there was a message which he wrote for her.

_I noticed you like to read and I wanted to give you something which you would use every day and remember me by._

She smiled to herself as she held the bookmark in her hand. She walked back towards the shop and thought to herself: _I'll always remember you…_

**The End**


	2. Chapter 1 Kai POV

**A/N: I decided to come up with this continuation to the Happy Birthday Misaki fic. It's just based on Kai's POV on the same thing. So I hope you enjoy it.**

Kai Toshiki was at Card Capital, looking at a very chaotic scene. It is apparently Misaki's birthday and the entire shop was bustling with everyone decorating and just talking loudly. He felt that it was a mistake to come in today since there was not much card fighting which can be done today.

"Miwa, if you would please help me hang up these streamers, I need to grab the cake from the store before Misaki comes back." Shin handed Miwa the streamers.

"No problem, leave it to me! I'll make sure all these are made in time before Sis returns." Miwa replied with a thumb up and his usual boyish smile.

"Morikawa, would you please help out?" Izaki said. He was busy preparing the balloons while Morikawa was just sitting there, boasting to a bunch of children that he is the strongest in the shop.

"Izaki, can't you see that I'm busy? I have fans here that need my attention." Morikawa stated. Izaki shot him a dirty look but decided to shut up since it would be faster to just work and not rely on Morikawa anymore.

Kai couldn't take the noise anymore and decided to slip out, hoping no one noticed since they were all so busy. He was dead wrong since Miwa came out after him not long after and called out for him.

"Kai, where are you going? Sis is going to be back sometime soon. Stay and celebrate with us." Miwa said.

"I'm busy." Kai replied as he carried on walking.

"Come on, it's her birthday. You should really try to join in and have fun as well. Everyone is going to be here." Miwa tried persuading.

Kai pretended that he didn't hear anything which Miwa had just said and walked until he was out of sight. The truth was, he wanted to take the chance to get Misaki something special even though he didn't know what she liked. He walked passed a flower shop and stopped for a moment to admire the flowers. When the shop keeper came out and offered for assistance, he was still torn and wondered if it was the right thing to do.

"If you want to purchase flowers for your girlfriend, it would be a perfect gift because girls love flowers." The shop keeper mentioned.

"No, thank you." Kai replied after contemplating for a few minutes and walked away, leaving the shop keeper disappointed about the loss of sales.

The whole point of giving flowers seems too conventional to him. Flowers would wither and she would have to discard it anyway. Another thing which bothered him was the fact that the flower symbolizes a lot of things. He has always been admiring Misaki from afar because he has a crush on her and if he suddenly gave her flowers, she might be angry at him.

Walking on, he found a bookshop selling all sorts of books. So far, he has noticed that she loves to read in her free time when she wasn't card fighting. He went inside and started wandering around the aisle for something which might be interesting. He then realized that he has no idea what books she likes to read.

Thinking that his efforts have been futile after 10 more minutes of wandering around aimlessly through the aisles, he walked past the counter and there was a whole row of bookmarks which caught his eye. There was one which he thought particularly suited Misaki. It was a pink one with purple floral patterns. It was convenient that there were gift boxes in the aisle next to the counter and he picked out a red one with a silver ribbon at the top.

He decided that it was best to personalize the gift a little after he bought it and wrote a short message behind it on the counter after paying. Leaving the shop, he found that he has another problem at hand: delivering the gift to her. He kept it in his school bag and carried it over his shoulders like he always did.

He wanted a place to think about this thoroughly. He didn't think she'd accept the gift if he didn't present it to her right. He walked through the lines of shop lots and through a park. His destination was supposed to be his usual bench and the shortest route was through this park. As he was walking, he noticed someone familiar sitting under a tree.

Kai got closer to see Misaki, who was apparently hugging her knees. He could hear soft sobs as stood nearby. He saw her shivering and took off his blazer and dropped it on her back gently. She turned her head up and looked at him with pain filled eyes and tears streaming down her face. He sat down next to her, and leaned against the tree. He wanted to say some things which could comfort her. But throughout all this, he hardly spoke to her and didn't know how to start.

"How did you find me here?" She asked. He was relieved she started the conversation.

"I just happened to be passing by." He responded.

"I see." She turned away from his direction to face the families having fun at the park.

The parents were playing with their children and fussing over them. He started feeling empty and wondered if she felt the same way he does. It's true that she is an orphan just like him. But she has a loving uncle who takes really good care of her. Even though he has one as well, he always felt distant because he could never really be a part of that family. He decided to ask her how she felt.

"You miss them right now huh?" He said. She looked back at him, looking a little confused.

"Who are you talking about?" She asked.

"Your parents." He replied.

"Is it because I was staring at the families around that gave you the impression?"

"It's more like the fact that you are sitting here alone, crying, when people are waiting for you at the shop." He said.

"Can't I just want to be alone?"

"You definitely can. But there must be a reason why you want to be alone on your birthday."

"How did you know it's my birthday?"

"Shin told everyone." She looked sad again. He wondered if he said something wrong.

"I just wish that my parents were here to celebrate with me. After so many years, I just want to hear them say Happy Birthday' to me and smother me with affection." She said.

He was surprised by her sudden outburst. She looked surprised as well. This was their first actual conversation and she just started pouring her troubles out to him. He was actually glad she did because he understood how she felt. All those years, he felt the same but he never thought anyone would understand him. He decided to move closer to her and started to pat her head.

It was also what he had always wanted. He could see the tears have stopped and was glad. He disliked it when people cry especially girls since he didn't know what to do with the situation. She looked at him and he could see a smile slowly forming on her face. He would give anything in this world so she could maintain that smile.

"Happy birthday, Misaki." He finally said.

"Thank you, Kai." The sparkle in her eyes has returned and it made his heart pound hard.

He didn't understand why he felt this way and stopped patting her. He sat next to her, hoping he did the right thing to cheer her up. For some reason, he didn't want to see her sad ever again. He wants her to be happy and smile everyday because her smile warms his heart and makes him want to smile as well. This was the first time he ever felt this way and he couldn't comprehend what it meant.

"Why did you cheer me up?" She asked all of a sudden.

_"I don't want to see you sad. Your sadness brings me pain…"_ Those were his thoughts at the time. He wanted to say it but thought that he would probably make her unhappy again if he did.

"I think no one should feel this way on their birthday." He said instead. She smiled and he felt his heart melt a little. It was something he had wanted to see all the time.

"Don't look too much into this matter. And please don't tell anyone. Miwa wouldn't stop picking on me if he knew." Kai said. The truth was he didn't want to share this precious moment with anyone else. He wanted to keep this memory with her only.

"I get it. This will be our little secret."

He felt relieved that she didn't question any further. And the thought of sharing a secret with her made him happy. It may be her birthday but he felt as if he got the best present in the world. He stood up and offered his hand to pull her up. She took it and he felt his chest tighten in excitement.

"You should get back. I'm pretty sure Shin is wondering what's taking you so long." He said.

"I guess you're right. It's getting late."

They were walking back to the shop in the orange sunset. It was hard for him to breathe. He wanted to give her the gift now but thought that the timing isn't right. He wasn't sure what to do because he never really bothered giving people presents for their birthdays. Misaki was special and he wanted her to feel that way. Yet he couldn't do it and they were finally at the crossroads which separates his house and the shop.

"I don't think I'll be going in." He said. He just wanted to go home and reflect on the events which happened today.

"Oh." She said. He thought he heard a hint of disappointment in her tone but he thought he heard wrongly.

"Hey, try to act surprised. Shin put in a lot of effort just to make you happy." He was trying to stall long enough to give himself some time to figure out how to give her the present.

"I know." She returned the blazer which he draped on her at the park to him.

He felt that this was not going to lead anywhere. So he decided to leave. He felt a little sad because things were going so well. But he thought that she would be happier at the party and he could probably slip the present to her some other time when they were at the shop. He walked and blamed himself for his inability to act when she suddenly called out for him.

"Kai, wait!" He turned around and she started walking towards him.

"What is it?" He asked.

It all seems to be happening really fast. She started to stand on her toes so she would be tall enough and kissed his cheek. He didn't know how to react to this. He was surprised but he loved it. He could see that she looked terrified and decided it was time to act based on how he felt. She wanted to leave but he caught her wrist and pulled her into his arms. Her body felt warm and soft.

"I'm sorry about just now. Let's just forget it ever happened." She said.

"I won't forget it. I know you won't be able to either." He replied. His heart was beating really fast. He felt as if he was going to pass out.

"Huh? You… Don't want to forget it? Is it because you're really angry at me?"

_"I'll never be angry at you…" _He thought

Instead, he smiled at her and pulled her closer in. Their lips met and he felt like he was in heaven. He wondered if she would actually be angry at him for acting this way but didn't feel any resistance from her. Once he pulled away, he could see she was red but found her really adorable anyway. He decided that this was the right moment to give her the gift. He had already gone so far as to kiss her, he should be able to give her the present.

"I have something else for you. I just didn't know when the right time was to give it to you." He said honestly. He took out the red present box from his bag and handed it to her.

"Happy birthday again, Misaki." He wanted to kiss her lips again but thought that she might run away.

So with a quick motion, he kissed her forehead instead and left her standing there, looking as shocked as she could be. He went into the nearest alley and sighed in relief. It was a good day. He felt the air tasting sweeter and just wanted the day to last forever as he started walking towards his home. He wished that it would but knew that it doesn't matter. It's a day worth remembering...


End file.
